Russian President Vladimir Putin (Xinhua file photo)

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed into law a bill vesting the government with the power to label foreign-funded media outlets in Russia as "foreign agents," said a presidential decree published Saturday.

The lower and upper houses of Russia's parliament approved the bill on Nov. 15 and Nov. 22, respectively.

The law was enacted after Russia's state-owned English news channel RT America was forced to register as a foreign agent in the United States by the Department of Justice under its Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) effective since 1938.

FARA requires "persons acting as agents of foreign principals in a political or quasi-political capacity to make periodic public disclosure of their relationship with the foreign principal, as well as activities, receipts and disbursements in support of those activities."

U.S. authorities accused Russian media outlets of influencing public opinion during the 2016 presidential election by spreading fake news. But Moscow saw the forced registration as an obstacle to Russian media activities in the United States and a step violating the freedom of speech.

According to the new Russian law, the Ministry of Justice will decide which media outlets should be listed as a foreign agent, who may face restrictions in Russia.

The ministry said it has sent letters about possible recognition as foreign agents to VOA, Caucasus Reality, Crimea Reality, Siberia Reality, the Idel Reality regional project, the Current Time TV channel, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Liberty's Tatar-Bashkir service and the Factograph project.